April 4-5, 2009

The Networking and Employment Transition Support (“NETS”) Group is hosting a meeting for those seeking networking and employment transition opportunities, and parishioners who are looking for good talent to fill open positions. The mission of the group is to bring together parishioners who have open job positions with those who are looking for employment opportunities. Our next meeting will be held TODAY, Sunday April 5th from 3:00 to 5:30 pm in the lower hall of the Church and will include a presentation by Ron Ploof, our parish Development Coordinator, on “Social Media for Job Seekers”. Also, if your company has job openings that you would like to share with parishioners please attend our meeting. For questions about the NETS Group contact Ed Jordan at ejordan@ketelone.com or 949-389-1715.

Holy Week – Easter
April 9 Holy Thursday, Triduum begins, 7:00 p.m., Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Altar of Repose in Meeting Rooms 3 & 4 until Midnight.
April 10 Good Friday Prayer Breakfast at 7:00 a.m. (previous reservations required)
Triduum continues with Good Friday Liturgy with veneration of the Cross, 7:00 p.m.
April 11 Triduum concludes with Easter Vigil at 7:00 p.m., reception of catechumens and candidates into the Church through Baptism or Profession of Faith (please note….NO 5:00 p.m. Mass.)
April 12 EASTER SUNDAY –REGULAR SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE, 8, 10 and 12 Noon, Masses INDOORS in the GRAND Hall…(see following bulletin article.) Special overflow parking ON THE STREET has been arranged for EASTER SUNDAY ONLY. Please only cross the street at the lights.

‘Let the Children Come to Me’
Corpus Christi Catholic-Christian Community presents
The Tenth Annual South Orange County Good Friday Prayer Breakfast
Guest Speakers:
Michael Driscoll:, was 15 when diagnosed with Melanoma that had spread to his lymph nodes. He is now 20 and an English Major at UCI with dreams of Notre Dame.
Sean O’Donoghue: was born with 8 Heart Defects and suffered a paralyzing stroke at 4-months. At age 4 Sean received a new heart and is now, a jr. black belt in Tae Kwan Do & a 5th grader at Serra Catholic School.
Darla DuAmarell – At age 6 a recurring neck pain led to the discovery of a tumor encasing her spinal cord. Given 3 months to live Darla has been in remission for six years and is a 5th grader at St. Catherine’s.
Friday, April 10, 2009 7:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa, Monarch Ballroom (note room change)
$55.00 per person
For more information, please call Jackie Kleinhammes (949-837-4441)

Little Lambs needs you! Have you been enjoying the benefits of our child care services? Do you have a little time to give back? Just a once a month commitment is all we need! Sign up to help out as a volunteer caregiver during mass. Our numbers keep growing and we need more arms to keep our toddlers happy and safe. All volunteers must be fingerprinted and Safe Environment trained. Contact peggyarmenta@corpuschristialisoviejo.org. to find out how to be a part of this much needed ministry.

As mentioned in last week’s Bulletin, we are designating the last weekend of each month as ‘Feeding Our Family Weekend.’ This will be a monthly opportunity for our parishioners to bring non-perishable food items to Church and deposit them in the specially marked bin that will be outside on the courtyard. Last week’s food was donated to South County Outreach to assist them in their response to the unprecedented demands being placed upon them. Please note that we are only able to handle non-perishable food, no clothing or furniture or additional supplies….just non-perishable food. Under the oversight of our Hands Across the County Ministry, please contact Jeannie Prioli (215-2123) if you would like to specifically help with this outreach. Our next opportunity will be April 25-26. Thanks.

Let’s welcome our newest family members!
On Holy Saturday evening, the following people will be fully received into our Catholic faith, either through baptism or through Profession of Faith: Su Barker , Jennifer Poston, Irma “Leticia” Owens, James Owens, Lydia Laboa, Debbie Kvochak, Jennifer Hendricks. This is an opportunity for you to write them a note of welcome, which will be presented to them on Saturday evening, April 11th, following the Vigil. Your kindness means so much in reaching out and welcoming these newcomers to the Eucharistic table….they are strengthened by your love and embrace…and we are strengthened (and challenged) by the their fresh vision. You may drop your cards off at the parish office throughout the upcoming weeks or you can of course mail them over to us, but please get them to us no later than Good Friday, April 10th. Thanks.

As always we are looking for your help with donations of Easter lilies, please bring your 6” (minimum) potted lilies to the kitchen anytime during THIS week so they will be available to help welcome the Resurrection.
Are you an Adult (over 18) who is a Baptized Catholic and who has received your First Reconciliation and First Eucharist…BUT….have never received the Sacrament of CONFIRMATION? Well, on Memorial Day Weekend (May 30th to be exact) the VIGIL OF PENTECOST is coming, and on that occasion, Bishop Tod authorizes parishes to offer the Sacrament of Confirmation to ADULTS who are our own parishioners. So, if you are a REGISTERED ADULT, 18+ here in Corpus Christi (sorry, no outside family or friends who are not already registered and participating here at Corpus Christi) as of March 1, 2009, and would like to be CONFIRMED on Saturday, May 30th …please contact Shawn Wehan at 949-297-8516 for information and the Adult Confirmation Prep schedule. Thanks. (P.S. We will eventually need a copy of your Baptismal Certificate and a copy of Your First Communion Certificate so you may want to start scrounging around for them.)

Speaking of ADULT SACRAMENTAL EXPERIENCES….are you presently CIVILLY married but have never had your marriage blessed by the Catholic Church? Then perhaps our Late-Spring Marriage Blessing Event on Sunday, June 14th is for you!? In order to participate, the following requirements need to be understood:
1. Both persons have NEVER been married before (this is a first marriage for both) and at least one spouse needs to be Roman Catholic.
2. If one or both persons have been married previously (in any manner or capacity) the prior marriage(s) need to have already been annulled by the Roman Catholic Church.
3. The couple need to be already Registered and participating within Corpus Christi as of March1, 2009. (Sorry, this is not available for extended family or friends who are not already REGISTERED Corpus Christi parishioners.)
4. Both spouses need to attend a preparation meeting on Sunday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m. in the Grand Hall. This is an adult-only meeting, please arrange to leave all infants, toddlers and children with sitters.

All necessary paperwork will be explained at the April 26th meeting, no documents need to be brought with you at that time. Please call our Front Office Receptionist, Susie Hays, at 389-9008, and let her know of your plans to attend.

Attention Parents: A reminder, as is our custom, there will be no Good Shepherd program offered during Easter Sunday Masses, April 12th. Please plan accordingly.

On Good Friday, the collection that is accepted goes to support the places of special spiritual merit in the Holy Land. This is a collection that is taken up throughout the entire world, all the parish’s Good Friday collections are sent to the Holy Land. Your generosity and kindness in preserving our ‘historical roots’ is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

It’s Story Time at Corpus Christi! Parents bring your little ones and join us Monday, April 13 at 10:00 a.m. for an hour of song, stories, snacks and fun crafts! Led by our own “Miss Peggy”, you’ll be treated to a rollicking good time and a chance to meet new friends too! The fun will take place in the Good Shepherd room. Children must be accompanied by a parent and are welcome to invite a friend. No reservations are required. See you there!

Hey there High School students….
Join us for your April HAVEN meeting…one week delayed (because of Easter)….APRIL 18th!
MySpace, God Space: Catholic-Christian Teens Communicating in the Media Age!
During our April HAVEN meeting, we will explore what drives the popularity of texting, My Space, and other media—a need for affirmation, validation, and communication. We will consider the need for intimacy on an emotional and spiritual level. We will also think about how we represent ourselves as we communicate online, via email and when texting, and how people represent themselves to us. Join us at 5:00 p.m. for Mass, followed by dinner, singing with our HAVEN band, games, and the evening’s discussion. Contact Linda Palomino palomino6@cox.net or 290-3424 with any questions.

There is more to this week than just Easter……
Some are perplexed by the title ‘Triduum’, which comprises Holy Thursday, Good Friday and concludes with the Vigil on Holy Saturday. It is essentially a SINGLE liturgy divided up over three days, the crucial and most powerful of liturgies, it grounds us in the mystery of God that continues to unfold in our lives. The Triduum (and other associated events of Lent/Holy Week) is not merely a ‘re-enactment’ of what happened to Jesus, that would grow tedious and old very quickly. The power of Triduum is to touch upon the UNFOLDING and CONTINUING mystery of Triduum in OUR lives. In a society that puts much stock in solid proof and evidence, MYSTERY is very difficult. Scripture for example, is not ‘inspired’ because of the absolute historicity of its’ accounts and stories but because of the MYSTERY of God contained within its’ passages. Thus, you are invited into the unfolding MYSTERY of Triduum….you are urged to resist the temptation to think that only Easter is of importance. Life is not just one big Easter, it is also Holy Thursdays and Good Fridays…and yes, Easer too….but Easter does not denote the absence or wrongness of Holy Thursdays or Good Fridays. If we think life is supposed to only be one big Easter, we are setting ourselves up for a major fall. Hence, we are offered the MYSTERY that life is comprised of Holy Thursdays and Good Fridays …and that Christ may be found within them in equal abundance to the Easter moments of resurrection. FKB

April 4-5, 2009
Palm/Passion Sunday
Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:5-11 As presented by Music Ministry

Wake-up calls are invariably jarring and disturbing. Not just the buzzing alarm clocks that awaken us to another day but especially the broader ‘societal’ wake-up calls like the ones our culture and economy are now experiencing; these are unpleasant reminders that we may have constructed our lives upon sand. With the stark choices of expending money for this or that necessity in life, the presumed and ‘acquired tastes’ of our consumer society must now be weighed carefully. Our smug satisfactions with investment portfolios and retirement plans are rudely interrupted, our dreams must be tempered with a reality no longer limitless. In the midst of our discomfort and uncertainty, as we endeavor to keep the financial darkness at arm’s length….we arrive at the door of Holy Week: Palm/Passion Sunday. While we already know the story, perhaps this year the retelling of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, followed by the rapid spiral to the emotion-filled actions and meal of Holy Thursday followed by the abandonment and crucifixion of Friday will hold fresh meaning? Perhaps we have deceived ourselves into thinking that life is nothing but a series of Resurrections, of Easter moments? Have we forgotten that an essential part of Easter is the dying and writhing that necessarily precede it? The scriptures we proclaim throughout the year attest to this: ‘Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and DIES…..’ or ‘Those who save their lives will lose them….while those who lose their lives for my sake, will save them.’ or ‘Pick up your cross and follow me…’ As seen through the lens of Holy Week our present fiscal and societal adjustments are part of an eternal rhythm to which the individual stories of this week speak. The crowds exulting at Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem could easily be our remembered euphoria over high dividends and economic expansion. The somber Passover of Holy Thursday could be our dawning awareness that we have bought into a ‘house of cards’ that is now tumbling. The betrayals and dying of Friday might well be our own dismal assessment of what we can and can no longer do. The emptiness of Holy Saturday, the sitting and waiting….is an apt metaphor for our entire culture as we wonder when the sun will rise and our fortunes be restored. While the story of the Passion entails one week, the metaphor of the Passion is not so easily constrained. Surely Easter will eventually dawn….but not necessarily next Sunday, or next month or perhaps not even next year. The wake-up call of what Scripture has been saying is upon us….it is time to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus, to find him in the events of our time, to discover his face in the emptiness of uncertainty, to become aware of his presence in all the things we would ordinarily abhor and avoid. Yes, Easter will surely and eventually dawn…but not without the fullness of this week, a week we do not call ‘Happy’, but rather…’Holy.’

Thank you for coming and sharing these opening moments of Holy Week with our Corpus Christi Community. Please accept a Bulletin on your way home, it contains the full Holy Week schedule. Please note that our EASTER SUNDAY Mass schedule is identical to our normal schedule, 8, 10 and 12 Noon….and all of the Masses are celebrated within our Grand Hall, not outdoors as we have done in the past. Your are invited and HIGHLY encouraged to participate in the fullness of Holy Week by coming to the entire Triduum experience of Holy Thursday and Good Friday (both starting at 7:00 p.m.) Easter makes so much more sense and is ‘complete’ when it flows as a natural part of what has occurred prior. Please remember that next week we will have lots and lots of visitors who will be joining us for our Easter celebrations, our Grand Hall will be packed to overflowing…so be prepared for the crowds, bring your patience and smiles, bring your willingness to help direct our visitors to the bathrooms and explain our home to them. Don’t forget that you may park on the street, but please try to only cross at the light. Finally, as Holy Week unfolds, remember, you are loved. FKB